Peristaltic pumps have been widely used for medical and research applications where constant metering of fluids at relatively low flow rates is desired. The conventional peristaltic pump provides a circular array of rollers driven in a planetary motion against one or more flexible tubes to effect peristaltic pumping. In pumps which utilize an array of peristaltic tubes, special care must be taken to assure that all tubes deliver fluid at the same rate if this is desired. The rate of delivery is a function not only of the rate at which the rollers move along the tube, but also the inside and outside diameters of the tube, the compression characteristics, the force with which the roller compresses the tube and the tension of the tube within the pump. All these variables must be carefully and precisely controlled to assure consistent and uniform metering rates within and between the delivery tubes.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved peristaltic pump for the precision dose metering of fluids through a plurality of flexible flow lines. It is a further object of this invention to provide a precision peristaltic pump for industrial applications. It is a yet further object of this invention to provide a peristaltic pump in which a plurality of flexible flow lines may be conveniently installed, removed and exchanged in a uniform, consistent manner. These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.